Walker said:
Agreed. He got off to a really bad start with SB5 and the 3C Corridor, but since then things have been toned down quite a bit.

Though I imagine joev will give us some extra reasons as to why we should all dislike Kasich. ;)

Hold on..before we get into “WHY WE HATE Kasich”,is it too early to say that low unemployement rates are because of him and his administration? I’m not for Kasich, I’m just wondering if this will be a factor in 2014? Look at Central Ohio right now, 5.4%. Wonder if this would of been higher or lower by now seeing that completion of the 3C Columbus terminal would of been completed by this time?Would of brought more construction job, but did the region even need these jobs, seeing our current unemployment rates now? I think I’m comparing oranges or apples, but maybe I will do some research, in my spare time. :)

I’ll be the first to admit that Kasich hasn’t been as awful as I feared. But what makes you think he should get the credit for Central Ohio’s recovery? The (admittedly liberal) New York Times* examined the same question and concluded that Mayor Coleman’s policies had much more to do with Columbus’ prosperity than either Kasich or Obama.

As far as Kasich himself, I think he was wrong on 3C, and I think he’s wrong to want to privatize every state asset. But other than that, he’s done OK.

*The original article was posted on here at some point, but I can’t locate it in a search.

His budget is “balanced” only because he is selling off profitable state assets at a rapid pace. Whoever wins the next term will have to deal with his irresponsible use of one-time money. Also, his whole Development/JobsOhio move (ie, fixing something that is not broken) is crashing in flames.

Also, take a look at local government and school budgets in the coming years and thanks Kasich for giving them huge cuts that will/have lead to levies.

Looks like state Republicans are doubling down on the usual right wing obsessions: privatization, anti-woman (the heartbeat anti-abortion bill) and anti-organized labor (right to work). I guess it’s gotten them this far, but they are probably on the verge of their Wile E. Coyote cliff walk moment if they keep going down that path. Then again, the Dems in the state are so weak at the state level that the Republicans could keep on walking for quite awhile and never have to realize there is no ground beneath them.

One thing is certain, however. If Kasich proceeds to privatize the Turnpike, he might as well forget about anyone supporting him in the northern half of the state, in either major party. That he’s even still considering the idea says much about his blockheadedness.

ChrisSunami said:
As far as Kasich himself, I think he was wrong on 3C, and I think he’s wrong to want to privatize every state asset. But other than that, he’s done OK.

For the governor that said he wanted to make Ohio “cool” and attractive to young people, Kasich must have been thinking of young people back in his day during the 1950s, when car ownership, highways and sprawl were all blasting off, instead of the 2010s now, when all of those things have become passé with the up and coming generations (and even many members of his own Boomer generation). Urban living and mass-transit are in. Car ownership and the desire to live in far flung burbs is down, yet Kasich wants to add more lanes to highways and support even more unnecessary sprawl. Way to go, old man.

He set us back at least half a decade with that knee-jerk reaction to turn down funding for rail before he had even taken the oath of office. Who knows how much Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati might have already benefitted from a train that provided people with an additional option for travel between the three major cities. Maybe the next governor can get us back on track, pun intended.

NEOBuckeye said:
For the governor that said he wanted to make Ohio “cool” and attractive to young people, Kasich must have been thinking of young people back in his day during the 1950s, when car ownership, highways and sprawl were all blasting off, instead of the 2010s now, when all of those things have become passé with the up and coming generations (and even many members of his own Boomer generation). Urban living and mass-transit are in. Car ownership and the desire to live in far flung burbs is down, yet Kasich wants to add more lanes to highways and support even more unnecessary sprawl. Way to go, old man.

He set us back at least half a decade with that knee-jerk reaction to turn down funding for rail before he had even taken the oath of office. Who knows how much Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati might have already benefitted from a train that provided people with an additional option for travel between the three major cities. Maybe the next governor can get us back on track, pun intended.

A rail that had a max speed of 62mph, ticket cost of $110-150 and would have to be heavily subsidized by the state? No thanks.

lakeerietransplant said:
Other than the fluke of 2006, Cordray is a political loser. It’s either Tim Ryan or FitzGerald.

Ah yes, the miracle of 50.1%. Kasich would be a loser too, except for his deep-pocketed buddies on Wall Street, in the land where dollar bills are the only real votes.

For whatever its worth, Cordray is Ohio Dems’ best chance of ousting Kasich. Cordray already has statewide recognition. Half of the battle for FitzGerald is just educating the rest of the state about what a County Executive is and what it does, no small task. FitzGerald at least needs to stay put for four more years and build a solid case to run on when he wouldn’t be going up against an incumbent Governor.